It’s Time to #EndMomGuilt.

Oh, it’s a thing. And it’s time to put it to rest.

My first experience with mom guilt took place three days after my first son was born. Being a new mom – overtired, overwhelmed and overly emotional – I gave up on breastfeeding and bottle fed my son. *Guilt.*

My second son was exclusively breastfed. However, he also demanded a lot of my time and attention, so I felt that I was favouring him and not spending enough time to nurture his older brother. *Guilt.*

That’s how it started… and eight years in, it hasn’t really stopped. From battles over breakfast to screen time negotiations, from dinner dilemmas to bed time rituals, I always feel that I’m falling short in some way. That somehow, what I’m doing isn’t enough.

Can you relate to this?

The first time I watched the video, I could have cried. I feel you, moms! We’ve all been there, we’ve all done that. (And most of us bought the t-shirt, which was promptly covered with sticky fingers and baby drool, naturally.)

Now it’s no secret that dinnertime is a big source of mom guilt. We invest a lot of emotion into the meals we feed our families, and most of us see the food we give our kids as an expression of our love and affection for them. However, even though as moms, we want nothing but the best for our family, a recent survey by ConAgra Foods found that 7 out of 10 moms wish they could spend less time preparing meals.

Nodding your head? Me too.

Let’s #EndMomGuilt, starting with dinnertime. Marie Callender’s has a long tradition of serving up delicious food with a homemade taste worth savouring. Prepared in the microwave or oven, the frozen entrées can be ready in as little as 15 minutes – with quality ingredients that are perfect for busy families.

Marie Callender’s recently launched six savoury frozen entrées:

• Three Meat Lasagna
• Chicken Lasagna
• Creamy Chicken Alfredo
• Scalloped Potatoes in a Creamy Cheese Sauce with Ham
• Creamy White Mac
• Hearty Three-Meat Marinara

Last night, I decided to take a stand against mom guilt. I knew my family would love Marie Callender’s Hearty Three-Meat Marinara, so I gave myself a much-deserved hall pass on dinner, depending on Ms. Callender instead. I paired the savoury entrée with a pre-made bagged salad and grocery store baguette. Prep time? Under 5 minutes. Results? DELICIOUS.
The Three-Meat Marinara features tender rigatoni tossed in a savoury marinara sauce, mixed with rich-tasting meatballs, Italian sausage, and pepperoni.

Of course, the most important part – my family loved it, and I felt good serving it to them. One less thing to feel guilty about!
Join the #EndMomGuilt conversation online by visiting the Marie Callender’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Marie Callender’s frozen entrées are available at grocery stores nationwide. For more information, visit mariecallenders.ca.

Tell me: Have you felt mom guilt? What was the trigger, and did you overcome it?